Tonight in Parliament, we voted on Theresa May’s Brexit deal.

I understand this is a very important issue facing our community and country which many people feel strongly about, and I wanted to outline why I voted against the Prime Minister’s deal.

To be clear, I respect the result of the referendum in 2016, and I do not support another referendum. We’ve already held a People’s Vote, and the views of people here in Barnsley were clear. So for me the current debate around Brexit is not about whether we leave the EU, but how.

I’ve been very clear throughout this process that any Brexit deal must guarantee the jobs, rights and protections that so many people here in Barnsley rely on. It must ensure that workplace and environmental protections are safeguarded, and it must respect the decision expressed in Barnsley through the referendum in 2016.

Unfortunately, the Prime Minister’s deal doesn’t do any of these things. It’s a bad deal for people here in Barnsley, and a bad deal for our country. It doesn’t safeguard hard-won rights and protections, and it keeps us locked into EU rules with no say in shaping them. That’s why I voted against the deal.

However, I also believe that we cannot leave with No Deal, which would be catastrophic for people here in Barnsley -; something that has become increasingly obvious, particularly after speaking to local businesses in our community. I’ll do all I can to ensure this doesn’t happen.

This position -; voting against Theresa May’s deal, opposing a second referendum, and opposing No Deal -; was supported by a large majority of respondents to my recent Brexit survey.

So, in my role as the MP for Barnsley East, I’m pushing for a better Brexit deal as we leave the EU, one which works for people here in Barnsley, which guarantees jobs, rights, and living standards, and honours the result of the 2016 referendum.

Following the Government’s defeat, the Prime Minister now has three days to come back to Parliament with a plan for how the Government intends to proceed.

In the meantime, be assured I am pushing for the best possible outcome for the people of Barnsley East.

 

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